Triad of Secrets
by DavCube
Summary: COMPLETE! Based on Anime. Concerned for Tohru after the graveyard incident, Hana visits Shigure's house with a shocking secret. But will the curse somehow intervene? HanaxTohru, YukixTohru, more couples near end, please R&R! Yukiru epilogue added!
1. Aftermath

This fanfic was inspired by the Fruits Basket fanfic titled "My Weakness", and a little bit of the Teen Titans shoujo-ai fic named "No White Flag." Kudos to both writers.

I don't own Fruits Basket or any of its characters. ('----' is thoughts) ("----" is speech)

This is a fanfic displaying the coupling of Hana and Tohru, for those who know the series. The coupling of Yuki and Tohru is the main story, but the focus is mostly on Hana/Tohru, so those who dislike or are offended by shoujo-ai, DO NOT READ FORWARD. You have been warned. (The recent developments that relate to "No White Flag" made me think of you, Rina, so this is for you, just because you're so awesome. )

It takes place the day after the anime ends, so it's not, repeat, NOT based on the manga. (Although there is a reference to a part of the story from the manga that takes place after the anime ends, but I just stuffed it in there for the fun of it. ;p)

Chapter 1 - Reminiscence

The morning was one of the greatest yet for Tohru Honda. Her fateful meeting with the head of the Sohma family was one of the most stressful situations she had even gotten into. She had even been on the verge of having her memories of her entire time with the Sohma's erased. She had lived with them and kept the details of their secret curse under wraps for a little over a year, and losing so much time would have been devastating for her. She now felt so grateful to have everyone she had in her life; not just the Sohma's, but her friends, too, especially when it came to Kyo.

His incident opened up a new side of him to Tohru, inside and out, and it caused her to use up any and all energy she had to calm him down. However, as this was all linked to the curse, she couldn't talk about that with her friends either. However, she would still have some explaining to do. While Kyo was running away from Tohru and Yuki, who got separated, Tohru wound up in the graveyard, at her mother's headstone. Then, her two best friends came along and saw her crying at the grave.

FLASHBACK – Graveyard: Headstone of Kyoko Honda

Saki Hanajima and Arisa Uotani, Tohru's friends, were walking along the aisle of the temple in the rain, looking for their purpose for being there. "So, why are we here anyway? Can't we come tomorrow, with Tohru even?" 'Uo' asked under her umbrella. "I just feel like we are needed here; that's what the electric signals are telling me." 'Hana' responded. Uo sighed in exasperation at her. "You and your electric waves…"

Hana possessed strange powers that read 'electric waves' from people, signals that personify feelings from another person. What she was feeling now, of course, was someone's self-pity and sorrow, but she didn't expect it to be from someone like…

"Tohru!" Uo called out to her and began to go to her side. Tohru slowly raised her head to see her friends standing there with looks of concern on their faces. "Uo… H-Hana…" Tohru barely had enough strength left to utter their names. "What are you doing here? You're soaked to the bone!" Uo pleaded with her. Tohru only looked away. "I can't go on living there… in that house… I don't belong there… I never did," she said.

"What are you talking about? Come on; let's get you out of here." Uo said as she bent down to help her stand up. Hana then dropped her umbrella and ran over to the two of them, not to help, but instead she rammed into Uo, causing them both to fall over. Uo got herself on her hands and knees, totally befuddled. "What the hell was that for!" she demanded. "You can't comfort Tohru right now; that's what her signals are saying." Hana said, but it wasn't in her same emotionless tone; it had feel to it; she was feeling what Tohru was feeling.

"Tohru… get up… there's somewhere you need to be." She began in an attempt to bring her spirits up. Tohru seemed only to get worse, crumpling back down into the position she was in before Uo and Hana saw her, crying. "I can't… I just can't!" she cried out. Hana refused to give up.

"You must… get up. Tohru… Get up!"

Uo, although surprised by Hana's outburst, got up again to try to help Tohru. "Stop it, Hana!" she said. "Tohru, I'm here." She proclaimed, kneeling down again to help her up, but Hana came over and knocked her down again. They were both up again momentarily, Uo showing anger in her eyes. "Damn you…" she said.

"Stand up!" she screamed at Tohru.

"Hana!" Uo yelled out, her focus totally put on getting through Hana right now to get to Tohru. She tried to break through Hana's grasp, but couldn't. "Let me go! Don't me make hurt you, Hana!" she exclaimed. Hana didn't seem to care what Uo said; she just continued talking to Tohru. "Now, Tohru! Hurry! There's something you have to do; you're the only one who can; you know I'm right!" she began to preach to Tohru, trying to piece together the forbidden information that her mind was being filled up with. "The hell does that mean! Hana!" Uo yelled, her resistance starting to fade as she saw what Hana was trying to do.

"This isn't something we can help you with. We can't; all we can do is tell you to go." Hana finished, her own sadness starting to show through. She wanted to help Tohru, just like Uo, but she couldn't; it was starting to hurt her. "So hurry up! Go! Go…" Tohru jumped up slightly at that last interjection, and slowly got on her feet and began to walk away from the scene. Uo was lost for words as she watched her go, letting go of Hana and standing in the rain. Hana collapsed onto her knees, crying almost uncontrollably; both from her own sorrow for not being able to help Tohru herself and from Tohru's own emotions that she was feeling.

"But why…" Hana asked no one in particular through her tears.

"WHY!"

End Flashback

'Why did I do that? Why was I feeling so much from her then?' Those were questions invading the mind of Saki Hanajima right now as she lay on her bed the same morning. 'Why did I go so far as to stand in the way of our own friendship for her to leave on whatever mission that was?' She began to cry again, her tears staining the pillow. 'What is this I'm feeling? Tohru is my best friend; I love her… but I still couldn't help her. Even though I knew I had no choice but to let her go… I still regret it. Such pain that I felt from her… what could have happened?' Hana began to think about the possibilities. 'Did something happen to one of the Sohma's?' Almost by instinct, she barely restrained herself from cringing at the thought of the Sohma's, mostly of the 'Prince' Yuki. 'Maybe one of their relatives passed away. It does seem as if they have quite a large family. But still, am I feeling jealous of them?'

She turned herself over to view a picture she had; a picture of the dynamic trio she was so familiar with. She reached over and took the picture from the nightstand, taking in the memory of that day. 'This was when we visited her during New Year's.' She placed her hand on the image of Tohru in the picture, tracing circles around the head with her index finger. 'If I didn't send those two back to the house then, who knows what might have happened…' She fell back on the bed, feeling a little better, although her expression said otherwise.

"Please be well… Tohru…"

Sohma Shigure Residence – 8:00 am

"Breakfast time; Breakfast time; all for me; Breakfast time…" Shigure sang his usual annoying rant at the morning breakfast table. He looked around the table to see Tohru in her comfortable place at the side of the table. Also in normality, Yuki and Kyo were late to the table, probably yapping it up somewhere upstairs.

"Good morning Shigure." Tohru said cheerfully. "Should we wait for the others to start?" Shigure smiled. "No, I don't think so, they're always late anyway." Tohru and Shigure both placed their hands in a praying position. "Itadakimasu!" they declared in unison, and the feast began. Shigure grabbed a plate and started loading it up. "You seem better this morning after such a debacle." He said tentatively.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Tohru asked in her innocent way. Shigure sighed happily; she always didn't get it that fast. "I mean after visiting Akito yesterday; Even though it seems he won't do anything, he still kind of sticks with you in the wrong places, doesn't he?" he tried again, attempting to put it together delicately for her to understand. Tohru's expression changed, but only slightly. "Oh… well, that is true, but like you said, it's pointless to worry about stuff like that now. You know, 'Que sera sera' and everything."

'Heh, she's starting to grow on me.' Shigure thought. 'Wait, isn't that the other way around? Oh, well…' Tohru's face then became a little more worried as her thoughts trailed elsewhere. "Well, I'm actually more worried about my friends right now, rather than Akito…" Tohru said almost sadly. Shigure looked confused. "Your friends? You mean Saki and Arisa? What about them?" Tohru's gaze wasn't presented at Shigure's face as she confessed her story.

"When I was chasing after Kyo, I stopped at the graveyard. Uo and Hana came in and saw me, crying at my mother's grave. Hana… she doesn't know how to read minds, she reads feelings. She gave me the courage to keep going, even though she somehow knew that she couldn't follow me, and now they must both be worried about me. What am I supposed to tell them?" Tohru finished, watching Shigure with a pleading look on her face.

Shigure, for once, didn't smile before giving his advice, which was a bad sign because he never seemed to stop smiling, much like Tohru. "Hmm…" he began. "Well, that is a bit of a problem." He paused a moment, trying to piece together something in his head. "Maybe you should just say that Akito came told you to get out, and went off the handle with you and Kyo. That would at least be part true," he offered. Then he struck a dramatic pose, his fist in the air triumphantly. "And then Yuki bravely steps in and demands that he reconsider!" he shouted out.

Tohru looked up and giggled at the slightly unrealistic example Shigure spoke of. "I don't know about that last part, but yeah, something like that would probably work." She said, her spirit seeming to come back up to peak perkiness. She got up from the table. "They really are late. I'll go get them." She declared, going out the door and walking slowly up the stairs, recollecting her thoughts.

'She never expressed emotion like that before… Hana never cried like that before in her life, at least not in front of me. What did I do make her react like that? I hope she's okay, I'd hate to have to keep her worrying about me.' She thought as she started to turn down the hallway that began at the top of the stairs. Suddenly, a thud could be heard against the wall of Shigure's library.

"Damn rat, just wait till this afternoon, and then you'll be sorry!"

'Just as I thought… they're at it again.' Tohru smiled as she opened the door to the library to see Yuki standing there with his fist in the air and Kyo kneeling on the ground with a visible bruise on his cheek. "Stupid cat… oh, Miss Honda, good morning. Is breakfast ready?" Yuki asked. "Yep, come on down, we've already started." Tohru responded in her usual voice. "All right, I'm coming…" Kyo muttered as he got up.

Tohru walked further down the hallway to her room, where Kagura was staying. (She was still there since the incident because she couldn't bear thinking that Tohru was taking Kyo away from her. It was a pretty emotional scene after all.) She knocked on the door and called out to her. "Kagura, are you ready to eat?" she inquired. "I'll be down in a minute, Tohru!" she said. Tohru walked down from where she came, preparing in her mind for the day ahead.

'I'll talk soon, Hana; please don't worry.'

'I'll call her; I'll see if this is a good time.'

Hana had given her dilemma some thought; quite a lot of it, in fact. It was almost noon when she decided to pick up the phone and see if she could stay with Tohru during the weekend; it was a Saturday right then. She approached the phone very hesitantly, seemingly frightened of the fact that she was about to pick it up. 'This is Tohru we're talking about; there's nothing to be afraid of.' She thought as she forced herself to pick it up and dial the number for Shigure's house. It rang twice, and then was picked up.

"Hello? This is Shigure Sohma, writing extraordinaire speaking!" was the response.

'Idiot.'

"Hello, this is Saki. Is Toh…" she was cut off by the ever-eager-to-please Shigure. "Ah, Saki, you don't call that often! How are you? We were actually talking about you a little while ago; I suppose you want to talk to Tohru?" He asked.

"Yes, please." She said in her usual monotone voice. "Okay then, hold on a moment." Shigure declared. The next thirty seconds felt like an eternity to Hana as she waited for Tohru's gentle voice to make itself heard on the phone. Finally, there was a response.

"Hana? Hi! I almost always call you; is anything wrong? I'm sorry if made you worry the other day, I mean there was nothing that serious happening, and I'm fine now, so…" This time Tohru was the one cut off, as she usually is.

'Just like her… going through something serious and putting it behind her so quickly. Then when she's explaining it, she almost strings it all into one breath. I guess she is feeling better.' Hana thought before speaking. "No, I'm alright. Although I'll admit I was worried about you for a little while, I'm OK now too. I was wondering if I you would be kind enough to let me stay over at your place tonight and tomorrow? My family has some… plans." Her voice tracked off along the last statement, leaving an eerie feeling on the line for a few seconds. Hana seemed to enjoy letting the imaginations of others piece things together.

"No, no, I wouldn't mind at all! You haven't been over in so long, it ought to be fun! Is Uo coming too?" Tohru sounded absolutely elated over the phone, and it brought a smile to Hana's face, that is until Uo was mentioned. Hana quickly came up with an excuse in order to leave Uo out of the equation. "No, no… she can't make it; she has to clean up her house a bit because she has… company of her own."

"Oh, all right. You can come over anytime today; we don't have any plans today. Are you sure you're all right? You sounded a bit tense for a second there." Tohru's voice remained gentle, but her worry began to sink in. Hana responded just as quickly as she normally would have this time around. "No, I'm fine. I'll see you around 2:00, OK?" she proposed. "OK, Bye!" Tohru cheered and hung up the phone. Hana placed down her receiver just as quickly.

'This is getting out of hand. I need to leave a note for Uo. Why did I insist on coming alone anyway? Am I afraid of telling Tohru how I feel, or how Uo would react to it? No, it's probably both, but there's no turning back now. Now, a believable excuse…'

Fast-forward to 4:00 the same day – Hanajima Residence Exterior

Uo is taking a walk down Hana's road with an acquaintance that she met at her job at the supermarket. Uo can't seem to stop smiling at him, and the boy isn't trying to stop it, but then again, why would he?

"Well Kureno, this is my friend Hana's place, I'd like to introduce you to her… huh?" Uo stopped talking as she noticed a note on the gate in front of Hana's house. Uo read the letter out loud. "Be back on Monday, gone… fishing?" Uo read, perplexed by the note. Kureno walked up to Uo's side and read over her shoulder. "So I guess she isn't here?" he asked with little enthusiasm.

"But…" she started. "…she hates fishing."

Rewind to 11:00 AM the same day – Sohma Shigure Residence

Tohru placed down the receiver and turned around to face her roommates, squealing with delight. Kagura was the first to respond. "So, one of your friends are coming over? Maybe I should leave, then…" Kyo didn't let the chance pass him by to support this action. "Please, do, _leave_." This immediately changed Kagura's mind, but… not quite in the way he wanted. "Kyo, you jerk!" she cried she began to charge back at him for an assault. Tohru put herself between the two, trying to tell Kagura that the secret would be safe. "No, please, I'd really like you to meet her! It's a girl, so you don't have to worry about the curse so much, and besides, I've had practice keeping it a secret from them for a while."

Kagura stopped her rampage for the time being and giggled as a response to the news. "Oh, goodie!" she exclaimed. However, Kyo wasn't being very smart about it. "You still should leave!" he shouted. Kagura's charge renewed as she barreled out the front door with him, which was (Thank God) open. This left only Yuki and Tohru in the room. "Well, this ought to be fun. Miss Hanajima and Kagura in the same room? Who knows what'll happen…" Yuki said. Both of the high-schoolers laughed to themselves, thinking about those possibilities. Yuki then decided to change the subject.

"Aside from that, Miss Honda, can I… talk with you for a minute? Alone?" he asked, pointing upstairs. Tohru's enthusiasm started to leave her as Yuki's seriousness began to show through; this too, was not a good sign. "Um, sure." Yuki led the way to his room upstairs, where he locked the door behind the two of them. Tohru sat on Yuki's bed, looking at Yuki from behind, waiting for him to speak. Yuki waited quite a while before he let words form from his mouth, and when he did, he was still very hesitant. First, he turned around to face her.

"I… I have a… a confession… to make."


	2. First Secret Told

Chapter 2 – The First Secret

"Well, go ahead." Tohru said, offering Yuki a seat next to her on the bed. Yuki nodded slightly and sat down, but refused to look at her. "Do you promise… that you won't think… less of me?" he asked. Tohru turned and placed her hand on Yuki's knee. "Of course I won't. I already told you that you could tell me anything that was troubling you, and I'd never think less of you for any reason." Yuki looked up at his friend, but still waited a little bit to speak. Despite the delayed reaction, Tohru still smiled and sat, waiting patiently, content to even let silence exchange between them.

"Miss Honda… I think… I think…"

Yuki placed his hand on top of the one Tohru had placed on his knee, holding it tightly.

"I really… I like you, a lot."

Tohru simply stared at the gray-haired boy's purple eyes, or rather, right through them, because… nothing else happened. Almost a minute passed before Yuki used his free hand to wave in front of Tohru's face to try and wake her up from her state of apparent shock. "Miss Honda…?" He snapped his fingers, finally waking the girl. Blinking a couple times, she tried to speak, but this time it was she who found it difficult. "Oh, I'm here! Um… well… you… like me? You mean as a friend, right? Right?" Yuki smiled at the brown-haired girl, shaking his head. 'Her innocence… that's what pushed me over the edge about her.' "Well… the key word there was 'falling,' but, either way…" He paused, his courage somewhat renewed, ergo beginning to speak more easily.

"That is what I had first thought. However… recently, I've started thinking about you much more… well, dearly. Thoughts have entered my head that made me question my feelings, and since… yesterday… when Akito told you to leave… I felt broken." Tohru gasped softly, bringing her free hand to her lips. "I didn't want you to leave, and the more I thought about it, the more… I realized that it was… more than a friend's feelings." He used his free hand and let it flow through Tohru's brown locks, letting it rest on her shoulder.

"I suppose… I just want to say that… I'll always be your friend, and I'll be there… if you need me. I never technically promised that too you… did I? Even after a year…" Yuki chuckled as he remembered the day Tohru found out about the Zodiac Curse, when he told her that her memories might be erased, and she simply told him to do what was comfortable for the Sohma's. That was when she asked the fateful question that Yuki never answered. (Partly because he transformed two seconds after it was asked.)

"_You can erase my memory, but afterwards, promise you'll still be my friend?_"

Tohru remained silent for a little while, attempting to put two and two together in her head… with little luck. 'Is this actually happening! This couldn't be happening to me, could it? And from _Yuki!_' she screamed in her head, which at this point was an emotional maelstrom.

'Out of all of boys in high school to have feelings for me, it had to be Yuki? Not that that's bad, but is he serious! He can't find that much to like about _me_, someone who used to live in a tent, and who learned of his family's curse…'

"Y-Yuki…" she began, stammering. "I… I don't know what to say, this is all… so quick, and… of all people... you." Tears began to form in her ocean-blue eyes. "I mean, I've never even imagined about having a relationship yet… with _anyone _and now… you, one of my closest friends… I don't know what to do to help…" Yuki's enthusiasm didn't change; he simply brushed a few strands of hair away from her face and grinned.

"You don't have to do anything yet. I just felt like… I had to… you know, get it off my chest. We can… sort it out later." He said in an assuring voice as he began to lean closer toward his unofficial girlfriend. "This'll be our secret?" he whispered into Tohru's ear. Tohru could no longer hold back her tears and fell into Yuki's comforting arms, sobbing.

Big mistake.

After a soft 'boom,' Yuki vanished and was replaced by the familiar white rat. Tohru fell a little farther than she intended, her sobs becoming a panicked cry as she landed face-first on the bed, clutching the tiny teenage rodent, through instinct, close to her heart, or in a more physical sense, her breast. The both of them stunned from this little incident, Yuki blushed as he began to squirm against Tohru's chest, trying to get some breathing room. 'Even though I'd never picture us 'in bed' together… this still isn't exactly… what a fantasy of mine would include!' he thought as he inched his way out of Tohru's grip. "Miss Honda, I can't breathe!" Tohru immediately reacted and let the rat loose. "I'm sorry… I wasn't thinking, I guess." She quickly proclaimed, also blushing.

"Don't be. It is kind of what I'd picture you doing anyway." The rat consoled its friend as he waddled up to her. Tohru wiped away her tears and smiled at the cute little zodiac as she picked him up in the palm of her hand. "Thanks. Anyway, I guess we can keep this a secret, although I don't know for how long. I guess, what I was trying to say was that I'm flattered that someone like you would have those kinds of feelings for me. Don't get me wrong, of all things; I don't think less of you. It's just new to me. Let's just take things slow, OK?" Tohru then placed a finger to her lips, and then tapped the rat standing on her other hand on the top of his head, forcing Yuki to blush a deeper shade of crimson.

"Of course, whatever you want, Miss Honda."

"Heh, funny that I seem more comfortable talking to you as a rat than as a human." Tohru said, chuckling before setting the rat down and getting up to leave. She took a few steps toward the door, but then stopped and looked back at him. "Oh, you know, Yuki…" she said. The rat was walking toward the bed carrying its human-sized pair of jeans in its mouth. He spat them out and gave her his attention.

"Call me Tohru."

Yuki's violet eyes widened, and he waved his paw in front of him as a gesture, saying 'no.' "No, really Miss Honda, there's no need for me to…" Tohru tapped the head of the rat once more, silencing him. "Yes, there is. I've known you for more than a year now; you don't need to be so formal with me, especially after sharing your feelings with me like that. I think we should probably be on a first-name basis by _now_." She said, smiling. Yuki hesitated, but soon gave in to her wishes.

"All right… thank you… Tohru."

Tohru blushed a little, hearing him say her first name sounded so much better.

Fast-Forward to 1:55 PM – Sohma Shigure Residence Exterior

'The electric signals… from the Sohma house… they seem more in harmony with Tohru's… but is this a good thing, or bad…?'

'Only one way to find out…' Hana thought as she knocked on the door.


	3. The Visit

Chapter 3 – The Visit(s)

"Hi, Hana! It's great to see you. You're timing's good too, we just finished lunch." Tohru said as she opened the door. "Come in, there's someone I want you to meet." Tohru grabbed Hana's hand and led her to the kitchen, where all of the Sohma's were now putting their dishes into the wash. As the two of them came into view, they were greeted with warm smiles from the lot of them, except Kyo, or course.

"Hello Miss Hanajima. I don't believe we've heard the reason to which we owe the honor of your company." Yuki said, showing a look of interest on his face. Kyo simply folded his arms and sighed in exasperation. "Yeah, what _are_ you doing here?" he asked gruffly. Shigure picked Kyo up by the head and gestured to Yuki toward the door. "She told me over phone; didn't I tell you? Well, you two need to help me do some work anyway, so why don't we leave the girls alone, shall we?" Shigure stated quickly as he edged toward the door carrying Kyo with him. "Damn Shigure, let me go!" he said as he struggled to get loose. Yuki followed. He looked back toward Tohru, smiled and waved back at her before closing the door behind him, leaving the girls alone.

"Hi! You're one of Tohru's friends, right? I'm Kagura Sohma, it's nice to finally meet you!" Kagura said cheerfully, shaking Hana's hand. "Likewise." She said in her normal voice. Tohru decided to step in for the introduction; Hana's seemingly cold nature tended to rely on Tohru for rough situations. "That's right, this is Saki Hanajima, but everyone calls her Hana."

"I believe I saw you once… last year at school." Hana stated. "Huh?" Kagura was confused. "When would I have been…" she began to recall the one time she visited the school on Valentine's Day, the fond memories making her grin. "Oh, that's right, Valentine's Day! I probably seemed like some sort of ga-ga schoolgirl, going after Kyo like that, didn't I?" Kagura stated, scratching the back of her neck out of embarrassment. Hana only smiled faintly herself. "No, not really. He was starting to gain a little popularity since he started coming to our school; I thought you were just one of the crowd." Kagura giggled at the way Hana described her. 'Does she always seem so nice? She seems a little… dark, like she's hiding something.' she thought while there was, otherwise, silence in the conversation.

"Well, I am glad that he's starting to fit in. I hope that he'll soon get just as friendly with Yuki as he does with others." Kagura's gaze was averted as she subtly changed the subject. She looked up toward the ceiling, daydreaming. "If he can do that, then he can definitely fall in love with me!" She got up and barged through the door, following Shigure's path. "Wait for me, darling!" was heard as she barreled through the house. 'Well, I guess that answers my question…' Hana noted in her mind.

Tohru chuckled as she watched her go. "She is just obsessed with him. It's kind of cute to see someone as in love as she is." She explained as she got up to close the door behind Kagura. Hana didn't respond; she looked at Tohru, wanting to ask something. "Tohru, out of curiosity, have you met a lot of the Sohma family?" she asked, intrigued by the display Kagura showed.

Tohru sat down next to Hana, preparing her explanation. "Yeah, the Sohma family is really big! Let's see, there's Hatori you've met last year at the Culture Fest, and then there's Ayame, Kisa, Hiro, Ritsu… I'm not exactly sure how they're all related, but I don't think I want to try finding that stuff out, it always confuses me. Anyway, why do you ask?" Tohru implied. Hana was about to answer when another knock was heard at the door. Tohru jumped up at the sound and started for the door. "Oh, another visitor? Wait here, Hana, let me see who it is…" she said as she walked away.

Hana did as she was instructed and watched Tohru go through the hallway. Seeing her so happy brought joy to Hana's heart; the Sohma's weren't the reason for her suffering. 'But… if that wasn't what happened… then what was it?' she asked herself. 'I never should have judged the Sohma's so quickly; they take care of her as if she was one of their own.' Her thoughts were interrupted as three new presences in the house made themselves known, the first opening the door like a show-offy drama queen. (Or in this case, king.) He stood there at the entrance to the kitchen looking at the black-haired girl sitting at the table with his pale yellow eyes, his white hair still flowing slightly from the force he used to open the door.

"Well hello." The man said in an almost sultry voice. "You must be Tohru's friend. Allow to me introduce myself. I am Yuki's older brother, Ayame Sohma." Hana was surprised by this, but looking at her expressionless face, you wouldn't have known that. "A… pleasure. I don't believe Yuki has spoken of you, so…" Hana stuck out her hand to shake Ayame's, but mentioning Yuki, Ayame then turned around, looking away from Hana in an overdramatic fashion.

"He didn't? Well, I'm not entirely surprised; He and I aren't really as close as we'd like, but we are continually striving to strengthen our bond of brotherly love!" The room was soon filled with new faces as two children, followed by Tohru, interrupting Ayame's speech. "What do you know? We were just talking about you guys! Here, let me introduce you all!" Tohru exclaimed. She first gestured toward Hana.

"Everyone, this is Saki Hanajima." Then she got behind the two children, the boy looking very annoyed with this entire situation. "Hana, this is Hiro and Kisa Sohma, and I see you've already met Ayame." Hana nodded her head toward the young couple, and Kisa returned with a short bow. Hiro didn't do anything except scoff at her. "You don't say much, do you? What's your problem, are you a mute or something, 'cause if you are then why didn't Tohru tell us earlier, or are you just stupid? What would Tohru see in someone like you?"

Hana's eyes grew a little wider at that last remark, half out of fear, the other out of pure hatred. Hiro then received a firm slap on the head from Ayame, who looked quite stern at the moment. "Now don't be rude. Miss Saki is merely shy; she _is_ surrounded by several new faces right now, children no less." Ayame offered. Kisa then looked at Hiro, about to scold her young boyfriend along with her "Grandpa," but knew that his personality wouldn't let him have it.

Tohru then stepped in front of the rude Hiro, ignoring his rants. "Anyway, we're going to have some fun! Ayame took Hiro and Kisa here so we could take them to the park. Do you want to come?" Hana smiled back at Tohru and the youngsters and nodded. "Yes, that might be fun. Thank you." Kisa then clapped her hands together on Hiro's and they started for the door. Tohru turned around to stop them, but they were already outside. "Wait! I'll need to tell Shigure… where we're… going?" her spirit dropped as she found that she was talking to thin air. Ayame placed a comforting arm on Tohru's shoulder then. "Don't worry. I can handle the explanations. You kids go make some memories."

"All right, thank's so much Ayame." Tohru said as she got back up, and taking Hana's hand in her own, she led her to the back door. Waving goodbye to Ayame, they started down the road toward the park. Hana felt slightly uncomfortable in this position, but at the same time, she didn't want her to stop holding her hand.

"Uh… Tohru?"

"Yes?" she asked back.

"That night… at the graveyard… what happened?"

Tohru stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes growing wide and a visible sweat drop forming on her forehead. The question she feared to hear had been uttered a little sooner than she had anticipated; she wasn't able to find a suitable explanation for her friend to believe. Thinking on impulse, she began to string her thoughts together, hoping what she was saying was making sense.

"Well, uh… it's a little complicated, you see, I had met the head of the family, and he's a little harsh when it comes to dealing with people outside the family, but that's just how he is, it's nothing I did, and besides, everything's fine now! He's letting me live with the Sohma's for as long as I want to!" Tohru finished. Hana grinned and began to walk again, but was stopped by Tohru again. "Please, don't get the wrong idea; I'm not trying to hide anything from you! I'd never try to hurt you like that. You're too important to me." Hana waited a little bit before showing her rare 'pleased smile'. (Usually it was something of a malicious grin.) She placed her hand back into Tohru's and held it tightly.

"Thanks, that's all I needed to know." Hana said.

Tohru started leading Hana down the path again, returning Hana's happiness with a chuckle. "All right, then we might as well get going." She said before she got to the gate.

Fast-Forward to 3:00 – Kaiwaia Elementary Playground

Tohru and Hana sat on a bench together as they watched Hiro and Kisa on the monkey bars. Hiro slipped on one of the bars and fell off, hitting his knee on the ground. Kisa reacted to Hiro's yelp of pain and dropped down to see if he was all right. From the older girls' vantage point, they couldn't hear what the pair was saying, but Tohru couldn't help clapping her hands together and staring at them with relative awe. "Aww… aren't they just adorable?" she asked no one in particular.

Hana's mind was on other things as she began to sense some new electric waves. A small lock of her hair propped up as she began to scan the area. A short distance away, she could see someone in a somewhat loose kimono walking down the sidewalk. "Tohru…" she said, sounding like she was almost in a trance. Tohru looked over to her friend.

"Yes?"

"There's someone coming… over there." She pointed over to the person that her visions had described. As the figure came closer, they could see that the person's hair was long and brown; if this was a man, one could easily mistake him for a girl. Tohru looked over at the person and smiled. "Well, talk about coincidences; they're all coming out of the woodwork somehow today!" Hana looked a little confused. "You know this person?" she inquired.

"Yeah, I told you about him earlier; it's Ritsu! Wait here, I'll get him." Tohru said cheerfully as she got up. 'Him...?' Hana thought. 'That's a man?' she asked herself as she placed her 'antenna' back down; Tohru was talking with him, and she wanted to respect their privacy. Ritsu followed her back to the bench, where he gave Hana a low bow. "Hello. I don't think we've met; I'm Ritsu Sohma. I had heard what happened to Tohru and was coming for a short visit, but now I can see that fate has worked into everyone's favor!" Ritsu explained, grinning. Hana got up from the bench and shook Ritsu's hand. "It's good to meet you; I'm Saki Hanajima. I'm afraid I haven't heard much about you from Tohru, then again I haven't heard about a lot of the Sohma family, at least until today."

Ritsu's expression suddenly changed to one of worry and apology, which goes without saying, as he began to apologize profusely for that news. He clapped his hands to his face and knelt down on the ground. "Ah! You haven't! Oh, I'm sorry! My personality must have forged a deep hole into Tohru's heart; my lack of talent and purpose leaves me so infamous in this world in so many ways! I'm sorryyy!" Tohru rushed over and calmly put her hands on Ritsu's shoulders in an attempt to calm him down; he always did this.

"Ritsu, it's not like I didn't want to tell Hana about you; After all I only met you less than a week ago, and lots of things have happened since then. It's not your fault, really!" Tohru pleaded with Ritsu, but this never seemed to work, she didn't have Shigure's 'magic touch' to calm him down enough. "No, please! It's always my fault! I'll apologize to the whole worl-!" Ritsu was cut short as he tripped over a root just off of the sidewalk. During the time Tohru was holding him, they were gradually moving away from Hana at the bench and towards a bush on the other side of the park. Ritsu fell over and into the bush, with Tohru still holding onto him. Ritsu landed face first, and Tohru following onto his back, arms out wide. Tohru gasped.

'Oh no! No!'

The following instant, a small explosion was heard in the bush. Hana's antenna jumped back up to attention, as well as her whole body. Hiro and Kisa were soon to follow.


	4. Second Secret: Curse

Chapter 4 – The Second Secret

"Tohru! Are you hurt at all- what the…?"

Hana stopped in her tracks as she saw Tohru getting up from the bush holding a small monkey in her arms, said bush draped with a kimono. Hiro and Kisa got up with them, both of them gasping as they saw the zodiac animal.

'The clothes… their Ritsu's… and the monkey… has Ritsu's signals… could it be that…?' Hana deduced.

Tohru's mind raced as she attempted to find an excuse for the sudden appearance of the monkey and Ritsu's apparent but nonexistent discarding of clothes. She gently placed the monkey on the ground and then ran over to her friend, acting terrified.

"I'm all right, Hana. That monkey just dropped out of nowhere and surprised me and Ritsu…" Tohru was interrupted yet again by the psychic. "That monkey… _was_ Ritsu… how did this happen… Tohru…" Hana's mind was also going a little too fast; not even her powers could comprehend the supernatural curse of the Sohma family. Tohru's heart sank as she heard Hana's words then; she now knew of the secret that she had been trying for over a year to keep to herself. Tohru collapsed into her friend's arms as she began to cry, her mission to the Sohma's now utterly ruined.

"I'm so sorry, Hana… I didn't mean for any of this to happen…" she said through her tears. Hana watched as Hiro and Kisa picked up the unconscious Ritsu and his human clothes. Hiro looked back before they left. "I won't tell Akito… but I don't know how long we can keep this secret, all right? So don't blow it." He declared before they went in the direction of the main house. Hana looked back down at her friend, still sobbing into her chest. She began to stroke her long brown hair in an attempt to calm her down.

"It's all right, Tohru, everything's going to be fine. You can tell me what's going on soon enough; Let's just sit down…" Hana said with evident concern in her voice. Tohru nodded slightly from her position and began to walk, or rather stumble, with Hana back to the bench, where after another minute or two, she was able to calm down. She wiped away her own tears once again as she prepared her explanation that she dreaded to pass though her lips for the past year. "Hana… when I started… living with the Sohmas… I had discovered… that they live with… a curse."

Hana was not new on the subject of curses, what with her brother being adept at casting them, but she still found it hard to believe what she was hearing. "They're… possessed by the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac… and the cat." Tohru paused, thinking, almost daring for Hana to comment on this news. "…Go on." Was all that left Hana's mouth; she seemed a little too confused for her normal personality.

"Anyway… whenever they're hugged by someone of the opposite sex… or their bodies get weak, they transform into their respective animal… I fell on Ritsu, so he transformed into the monkey… the reason why I couldn't tell you was that… now we might get… our memories erased."

'Erased…'

"So that's why… you were living there not only because you had to, but to protect us as well… you didn't want yourself or anyone else to forget our time together." Hana said, running the information back. "But how would our memories be…" Hana trailed off again, letting Tohru finish her explanation. "Hatori, the Dragon… he has to power to erase people's memories when the order is given by… the head of the family…" Tohru's fear jumped at the thought of Akito. Hana looked away from her friend for the time being, although her focus was still on her friend. "So… that's what happened with him… he told you to leave, but the family was able to convince him otherwise… I see. You're part of their family now." Hana smiled as the cloud from within her heart began to lift. Tohru held Hana's hand and looked up to her with a pleading look in her eyes.

"Please, we can't tell Uo, if we do I don't know what will happen. I don't want to forget our time with the Sohma's… I want to keep them; If I don't, I…" her thoughts pictured a distressed Yuki, who had just told her he loved her hours earlier. "I don't know what I'd do!" she exclaimed. Hana was, for the first time, unsure of what exactly to say to ensure her trust with this new development. However, looking into Tohru's eyes then, she was able to find her answer. Leaning in and hugging her friend once again, she whispered into her ear "I won't tell her… I want… I want to keep our memories, too."

Tohru smiled the awkward way she did after they broke their embrace. "Thank you so much, Hana. I'm so glad you understand." She got up from the bench. "Let's go back to the house… the others will want to know what happened." Hana stood up as well and they began to walk back to the house, no other words spoken.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Fast-Forward to 5:00 PM – Sohma Shigure Residence Interior

"……WHAT!" Kyo yelled, cat ears sprouting from his head.

"So she knows about the curse now! Damn Ritsu!" He bellowed, but was then silenced by Yuki, who shoved a handful of leeks down his throat. Kyo began to choke, and ran for the bathroom with his face looking quite green. "There, that'll shut him up. In any case, Tohru… I'm glad that you told us what happened. We'll keep this secret as long as we can… won't we, _Shigure?_" Yuki's voice became much sterner as he looked at Shigure, who was sitting across the table, with severely distrusting eyes. "Now, what's that look for, Yuki? You know that I can keep a secret as well as anyone else!" Shigure said almost smugly.

"I know that… but you tell almost everything to Hatori… in turn to Akito." Yuki declared. The enthusiasm ran away from Shigure's face at that last remark. Folding his arms, he began to explain his reasoning. "Listen, this is no big deal, it's just one of Tohru's girlfriends, Hatori will be able to understand that. I'm sure of it." He explained.

Yuki got up from the table, slightly satisfied. "That may be true… but when you say 'Tohru's girlfriend,' it sounds like something from one of your 'novels'…" he said in his usual annoyed voice that he tends to get with Shigure around. "I'm going to go pick some things for dinner, but Tohru…" Yuki began.

'He said her first name…' Hana thought to herself.

"Maybe you should stay here this time, in case someone else arrives here." Yuki offered. "OK," she responded, nodding. Yuki walked out, again waving at her before closing it behind him, leaving the two girls alone, since Shigure left through the door on the other side of the room. (Looking greatly embarrassed from Yuki's last comment.)

'Has something happened between them? They seem to be much… closer now…' Hana thought to herself. 'I'll ask her later, this evening…'

'Yuki isn't being the most subtle right now about hiding the fact that he likes me… I think Hana might be on to something. I know I promised Yuki I'd keep it secret, but Hana… he'll understand if Hana knows later. I know he will.' Tohru debated in her mind.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sohma Estate Exterior: 5:30 PM

From his window, a man watched as he saw two children walking down a path inside the estate. One of them was holding a monkey, the other a folded kimono. Suddenly, the monkey seemed to explode in a brownish haze, a man somewhere in his twenties replacing him. The man gripped his curtains as he watched in anger, thinking that the two of them might have divulged their secret. Just then, from inside, another man, rather tall, stepped in, holding a thermometer.

"All right, Akito, time to take your temperature, you know the drill…" Hatori said, but Akito didn't turn around. "Akito…?" Hatori tried to get his attention once again.

"Tomorrow… fetch me Tohru Honda… no more mistakes…" Akito declared sternly.


	5. Third Secret Told

Chapter 5 – The Third Secret

Sohma Shigure Residence – Tohru's Room: 9:30 PM

Hana sighed as she slipped on her sleeping robe. It was an unusually bright color for her, a sort of blue instead of her normal black, but she seemed to like it. She was preparing her speech in her head, readying herself for a long discussion. A knock was then heard on the door to the dressing room.

"Hana! You're taking a while; are you all right?"

The door opened, startling Tohru a little bit. "I'm fine, Tohru, just a little tired is all." Tohru sighed in relief, getting into bed. "Well, that's good; I'm glad you weren't, like, nervous or anything." Hana followed her under the covers, listening to Tohru chuckle at her last remark and turning out the light. Silence took over the room for an infinite few seconds, until Hana decided to speak.

"Tohru… can I tell you something?"

"Huh!" Tohru uttered a little louder than she wanted it to be. "Oh, sorry Hana, it just kind of felt like déjà vu for a second, because…" she trailed off, in deep thought. 'Tell her! It's OK, it's just Hana, she can keep a secret like this, it's nothing compared to the curse…' she thought to herself. "…because the same thing happened with me and Yuki today." She blurted out. "Did it… I thought so… you seemed to be somewhat closer than you have been." Hana deduced. Tohru nodded. "Uh-huh. He said… he said that he likes me."

'He… likes her… just as Arisa once said… one day they'd say that they liked her… and I'm happy but…'

"I was just so surprised, and yet so happy at the same time. I never thought he'd say that to me, just coming out and saying 'I like you,' like that." Tohru explained. "_You_ did, though." Hana said, sort of out of the blue.

"Huh? Hana, what do you mean?" The brunette inquired. Hana placed her hand into Tohru's, her eyes almost glistening, a rarity in Hana's case. "Back in Middle School… when we first met… you told me that… you loved me," she reminded her, unusually calm. Tohru's eyes widened, and she started to blush. "Oh, that, well…" she said hastily. "I said that because you were about to leave us even though we were getting so close as friends, and, um… I didn't really think it was quite _that_ big a deal."

"It was to me, Tohru… You see, back when I was a child, I used to think that because of my powers, people existed to punish me, that I deserved what I got… but Megumi didn't think so. He changed what I thought… through a prayer." Hana explained. Tohru calmed down, gasping only slightly, as if Hana was reading a story to her, not about Hana's own life, but someone else's. "He said… that he wouldn't bring himself to believe that… there was no one in this world… that wouldn't love me. That was his dearest wish."

"Hana… what do you mean by this?" Tohru asked again, her curiosity still unsatisfied. "When you said that to me, I was freed. I knew that you were someone I could always count on. I never even really cared that you were a girl, but Tohru…" Hana hesitated, tears beginning to glaze her eyes.

"I love you. I love you, Tohru," she declared, tightening her grip on Tohru's hand, and putting her other arm around her. "Hana… I… I don't… I don't know what to… to say, I…" Tohru said tears also appearing in her eyes, but suddenly she was interrupted by a loud thud outside the door to her room.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" a voice yelled, both of the girls recognizing as Kyo's.

"Ahh! Kyo, why are you up? And why, oh why did you hit me?" another voice said, clearly Shigure's. "I was going to the bathroom, but why were you LEANING AGAINST TOHRU'S DOOR!" Kyo screamed accusingly, startling the two girls inside the room, but they remained silent so as to not alarm the boys outside.

"Oh, that, well… I thought I heard yelling, but I didn't want to barge in, so I…" Shigure was interrupted again by another hard bash on the head from Kyo. "You sick bastard! You were spying in on them weren't you! I aught to kill you!" He yelled threateningly, Shigure now running away in a frantic pace. "Whaaaa!" He screamed, enabling himself a clean escape route. "Goddamn pervert…" Kyo muttered before he went off in what sounded like the opposite direction, his mission successful.

The room fell silent for some time, both of them still shocked from the recent event. Hana finally decided to break the silence. "Don't worry, I'll ask him what he heard tomorrow, and if he does anything… I will punish him." She proposed, her moment with Tohru somewhat ruined. Hana's threat brought Tohru back to reality once again. "Oh, all right then…" Tohru's courage to speak was not replenished, as she now realized that she was part of a love triangle, but not exactly one that she would picture.

"Hana… It's just that… I don't know how to respond, at all… first Yuki, and now you… I didn't think you'd be…" she paused, searching for the right way to phrase the next part of her explanation. "…like this toward me." She took herself aback, realizing that even that suggested an insult of sorts. "I mean, not that it's not possible or anything, it's just that you don't seem like that on the outside and very few people know what can go on in someone's mind, so… although I may start to have feelings for someone, I don't want to hurt you… Hana…" Hana put a finger to Tohru's lips, silencing her.

"Ssh… It's all right… I'm just glad that you still accept me. Thank you…" Hana assured her with a soft kiss on the cheek. At that instant, Tohru's mind froze. Her mind was just beginning to register that Hana had kissed her, and the feeling that came from it was strange. She had never imagined that she would be sharing a moment with Hana like this, but it seemed like a good feeling, one she never wanted to forget. She blushed as she saw Hana close her eyes into a peaceful sleep, her fingers still laced with her own.

'Well Hana… I guess now we have two secrets to keep.' She thought as she followed her friend into slumber.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Fast-forward to next morning: Breakfast Table

The table was full, but relatively silent and tense enough to be cut with a knife. Hana and Kyo kept their eyes fixed on Shigure as they ate, which worried Tohru, subsequently the same with Yuki. After they finished their meals in silence, Shigure got up to put his bowl in the sink and then almost ran out of the room. Yuki then hit the table sharply, stopping Shigure like a deer in the headlights.

"Okay… what's going on? It's too quiet in here…" Yuki inquired. Hana then proceeded to get up from the table herself. "I believe I sensed his waves last night… he seemed weak. I think he is becoming ill…" Yuki calmed down at that statement. "Oh, is that all… never mind, sorry Shigu…re?" He hesitated to see the door close, with no trace of Hana or Shigure left in the room. After a few moments of silence, Kyo chuckled. Yuki, as always, wasn't amused.

"What are you laughing about?" he asked threateningly. Kyo looked at his rival with a smug grin. "That's not what was wrong. That damn mutt was spying on the girls last night outside their door, she's probably just seeing what kind of dirt he got out of them." Yuki then sprang up. 'What kind of dirt they… what if Tohru… oh, it's all right, it's just her friend, what am I worried about.' He thought to himself, picking up his dishes. Kyo's curiosity was not satisfied. "What was that about, ya damn rat? You tell something to Tohru or what?" he asked rudely. "Shut up, that's nonsense, you stupid cat." Yuki said, as calm as ever.

"What was that, girly boy!" Kyo yelled. Tohru then decided to leave the boys to their fighting, following the path that Shigure and Hana took out of the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, in the hallway

"Shigure…" Hana's soft voice rang like a fire alarm in Shigure's head as he slowly turned around to face his houseguest. "Um… yes?" he managed to ask nervously. "Can we talk… alone?" she inquired, pointing towards his office. "Oh, all right… then…" Shigure led Hana slowly to his office, where they both sat down. Shigure managed to regain some of his courage, placing a smile back on his face. "Well, what is it then?"

"I heard you and Kyo outside last night… and I must ask you… what did you hear?" Hana didn't beat around the bush of the subject at all. Shigure sighed, readying himself. "Now, listen… all I heard was that Yuki told Tohru he likes her, and then you said that you do too, and I'll say this… it was a little surprising, but I won't insult you, in fact quite the opposite. You've got a lot of courage, letting something like that off your chest after such an ordeal. It's not very easy." Hana stayed silent, a sort of signal, allowing him to continue.

"What I mean is that I won't stop you from doing what you wish with Tohru, it's really out of my hands… but I give you my word… your secret is safe." He said, and as if on cue, the phone rang. "Oh, excuse me a minute…. Ah, Hatori! To what do we owe this honor? … Hm? Bring everyone to the main house for a cherry blossom party? We'd love to! But what's this Hatori? Surely you don't have anything else in store for your secret crush?" Hana heard the line on the other end slam down.

'What is going on… this doesn't seem right…'


	6. Hell Broken Loose

Chapter Six: Hell Broken Loose

Stepping out of the car, Tohru and Hana looked with amazement at the huge Sohma complex. Cherry trees around the area were at their full bloom, spreading leaves at the slightest breeze, creating a scene that the brown haired girl lost herself in. "It's so beautiful… isn't it guys?" Shigure walked in ahead of them, strangely not amused. Kyo followed him soon after taking a look back at the trio behind him. 'They're both looking at her with such… longing… guess I really don't stand a chance with her do I? Oh well, being with her wouldn't help me beat Yuki anyway.'

"Yes… what a scene isn't it? You look cute with all the leaves floating around you like that." Yuki said, grinning. Tohru blushed and brought her hands to her face, embarrassed. "Oh! Th-thank you, Yuki!" Yuki again laughed at Tohru's innocence and walked into the Sohma estate.

There was indeed a party going on inside, albeit more like a barbeque, with a large table set up underneath a large tree. Seated there already were Momiji and Hatsuharu Sohma, waving as they started to come in. Momiji ran straight toward Tohru but was stopped by Kyo before he could hug her and transform into a rabbit. "Idiot! Not now, we have stuff to tell you later!" Kyo barked out, in reference to Hana's knowledge of the curse.

(A/N: Bet you were wondering when I was going to put those two in weren't ya? Yep that's all I got to say. gets shot OK… on with the story!)

"Whaaaaa! Kyo hit me again!" Momiji whined loudly, as he usually did. As Yuki and Kyo tended to the almost juvenile rabbit, 'Haru' walked up to Tohru with his also usual intense look. "Thanks for coming Tohru. By the way, Hatori wanted to see you. I think it has something to do with your meeting with Akito the other day… speaking of which… thanks." He explained, giving a thumbs up.

"Huh? You knew about that?" Tohru asked the cow, curious as to how the other zodiac members learned of the meeting so quickly. "Shigure told us, he was really surprised about how you kinda got through to him. I'm not quite sure what Hatori wants because of it, but I'll bet it's nothing big." He patted Tohru on the shoulder, allowing her through the group to the road leading to the separate houses. She looked back at the group before continuing, seeing more zodiac members trickling in from random directions. Ritsu trudged along from one road while Kagura and Ayame ran into the arms of their respective loved ones from another. Hana was seated at the table, seeing firsthand how the zodiac members acted amongst themselves.

Tohru entered Hatori's little house and closed the door behind her to find it strangely empty and dark. "Hatori? You wanted to see me?" she called, fumbling for a light switch. She found one, but it was only for a very dim ceiling fan, lighting up a lone figure in the room, but it seemed shorter than Hatori. The man slowly rose from the floor, with a simply unexplainable expression. Tohru then immediately recognized him.

"Hello Miss Honda." He said grimly.

"Akito… do you know where…" the stunned brunette began to ask before she was cut off by the head of the Sohma clan. "Right behind you." Hatori snuck up behind her and grabbed her wrists, startling her enough to cry out in a fear she had never yet known.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_NOOO!_

Hana gasped as the image entered her head, grasping the attention of some of the Sohma's around her. 'Tohru… now what? She just went to… NO!' Her realization of Hatori's abilities made the seemingly frail girl spring to her feet and begin to run in the direction that Tohru went in minutes earlier. However, she was stopped by many concerned Sohma's behind her.

"Hey! Where are you going!" Kyo yelled after her. She looked back over her shoulder. "Something… is wrong… Tohru… is in danger… I have to help her!" She declared, forcing sharp pangs in the hearts of many of the Sohmas. Yuki immediately ran after her, hoping his predictions weren't true. 'Akito… if you're doing this now… I'll find it very hard to forgive you… even if you do lead us!' the rat promised himself. Yuki was not alone, several other Sohmas were following him. First was Kyo, then Momiji and Hatsuharu. Kisa also was not far behind. "Hey rat boy! Just one thing, you're not alone in this! We make a truce, OK?" Yuki was a little startled by Kyo's comment, but just kept running.

Each one in the group had their own reasons to defend Tohru, a reason to confront their leader for the first time.

'Tohru… hang on!'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Miss Honda… why did you betray me like this… why did you divulge our secret… after being the only one to be able to know how I felt, why did you BREAK THAT TRUST!" Akito demanded his victim, who was crying from being beaten by the Sohma leader. Hatori was no longer holding her at bay, but could not look as she was punched once more by him. 'Dammit… this is exactly what I didn't want to happen… Shigure, Yuki, Kyo, everyone… I'm sorry…'

"Akito…I'm…sorry. It was an… accident. It was just… a friend of mine… you can… trust… her…" Tohru managed to explain before going limp in Akito's grasp. "You were the only one that made me think that my life had meaning, and now you just blow it up in my face! I don't care if it was your mother! You still betrayed me! It's just as I thought, you've been nothing but a bad omen for this family, and I won't allow you to harm us further!" Akito's proclamation shocked both Hatori and Tohru, but what happened next was a surprise to end all.

"LIAR!"

The door to the house burst apart and Akito immediately let go of the brunette in order to cling upon his head, which was pulsing with a very intense pain. "Tohru has been nothing but good for this family… how can you not see this!" Hana yelled out even in what seemed like a trance. Hana was bombarding Akito's mind with electric waves, walking slowly toward the Sohma leader. "Tohru has not only helped you, but every… single… one… of the Sohma's inflicted with your curse that she's met. She's helped them to lead on a better life… better than anything you've ever told them!" Akito opened one eye at a squint to look into the empty eyes of his attacker, realizing who he was speaking with.

"You mean… you're… the one… who found out…" Akito groaned between fits of pain that only seemed to get worse. "Yes…" Hana declared. "My name is Saki Hanajima… Tohru is my best friend and I love her… I won't let you take away her memories, our memories…" Speech seemed to become impossible for the telepathic girl as she increased her fervor, forcing a scream out of the squirming Akito.

"Hanajima!" Hatori screamed, placing a hand on her shoulder. Hana stopped her attack, looking back at the taller Sohma. "That's enough… although… what he did was wrong… if you kept going, you would have been just as guilty as he is." Hatori explained, not daring to look back at Akito, who was now breathing heavily from the strain on his mind and body. He was recovering quickly, but was quite shocked. Hana then looked over at the barely moving Tohru, and got free of his grasp to check on her now not-so-secret crush.

"Tohru… are you all right… Tohru!" She called out. Tohru stirred, opening her eyes to see everyone. "Hana… everyone… you're here…"Yuki stared at the two girls, thankful the two of them were safe.

"Akito…" Yuki began. "As much I hate to admit it… I think Miss Hanajima is right." He now focused on Akito. "All my life you told me that my life meant nothing… that it was darkness. When Tohru came into our lives, I started to see the light… she IS that light! As the one who bears the most of this curse, isn't that what you would want? Don't you want us to be happy despite our curse! I… I love her too… she makes me happy, she makes all of us happy! Isn't that what you want!"

Everyone looked at Yuki at this point, trying to take in everything that was going on. First they learned that Hana knew of the curse, and now there was a love triangle between her, Yuki and Tohru? And Hana attacked Akito… something that no one else ever dared to do. This newfound courage found its way to everyone in the room… each of them with a reason to stand against their leader.

"The rat boy's right! She accepted all of us… even my true form… even you! Don't you want people to accept us, treat us like regular people? What's that other crap you spout out then, huh? That bullshit you taught us isn't the way we should live!" Kyo explained his affect from 'Tohru's light,' as Yuki put it.

"Kyo, you're being a little too harsh…" Momiji stepped in. "But you are right… Tohru just wanted to be everyone's friend, is that so wrong? She wants to help… she might not be able to do what she wants to do, but she just wants to try… like all of us. She always tries… we all have to!" The younger Sohma proposed. "Well put." Haru said, thinking it was his turn. "Tohru might not be able to break our curse, but she can at least try. If it doesn't work, then oh well. That's life. Isn't that right, Kisa?"

The young tiger walked forward with tears in her eyes, inspired from everyone's speeches. "Akito… I'm sorry but… please don't hurt sissy anymore… I don't… want to lose her… none of us do…" Akito stayed on his knees, almost fully recuperated from Hana's attack. "All… all of you… think this way… about me… and her?" He asked them calmly. There was silence, but most of them nodded. Tears started to flow from Tohru's eyes as she watched what was happening, how much they were praising her.

"It's true… I do want you to be happy… but… all this time… I thought that… the only you could… was with me, but… are you just… trying to replace me?" Akito asked no one in particular, trying to reason out this mutiny in his head.

"No, of course not Akito… in fact quite the opposite." Hatori offered. "In the time I've spent with her and everyone else, all I've seen is that they are just grateful to know people outside of our family… they wanted to find someone who could not only help them break their own curses, but yours as well… they want to help you just as much as she does." Akito's eyes grew wide at Hatori's wise words. He slowly turned his head toward Tohru on the other side of the room. "Is… is that true?" Tohru nodded, smiling once again. "But I… I don't deserve this… I don't deserve such… kindness from someone… like you… Miss Honda… forgive… me…" Akito said with the last of his strength before succumbing to the last effects of Hana's waves. Hatori quickly went over and picked him up to take him to his bed.

"I trust that you all know that this is a rare event… I don't know what he'll do, but… I'm sure he'll come around." Hatori proclaimed before leaving with his patient. Just then, the opposite door slammed open to the forms of Shigure and Ayame. Breathing heavily from running down to the house, they took the time to look at the scene in front of them. "OK… what did we miss?" They both asked at the same time. Almost everyone sighed in exasperation at the duo. 'Those two are just impossible…' Yuki thought to himself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Fast-forward to 5:00 – Sohma Shigure Residence: Tohru's Room

"Well, she seems fine… she's covered with cuts and bruises, but no fractures or internal damage." Hatori stated his analysis on the sleeping Tohru Honda. "Thanks a lot Hatori… maybe you should head back to the main house now… Akito didn't look that good." Yuki offered. "That's a wise idea." Hatori responded. Hana stopped him then. "Hatori… how much do we owe you? I know you only attend to the family, but I'm willing to pay for her…" Hatori looked back and gave his rare smile at the two youths. "As far as I'm concerned… she _is _family now." He then left without another word, leaving Yuki and Hana alone with her.

Yuki was the first to ask. "Miss Hanajima… if I may ask… what did you mean… back at the house… when you said you… loved her?" Hana chuckled, confusing the rat boy even further. "I suppose I can tell you since Tohru told me… about you as well." Yuki did not look at all surprised and simply gestured her to go on. "It was… just recently… after she had gone to see Akito the first time… something came up… and it just popped in my head that I was… falling in love with her. I didn't know why or how… I just did… that's why I came this weekend… to tell her… but now that she has you… I doubt that she would want to…"

"I don't know about that…" Yuki interrupted her, startling the gothic girl for the first time. "You and Tohru have been friends since before we've even met, and I can tell you have something special… I love her too, but… now it looks like we're at an impasse, huh?" Hana didn't respond, save for a nod. Yuki leaned closer to Hana to whisper in her ear.

"Tell you what we'll do… to help her decide… who she's happy with…" He proposed.

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(A/N: Nope! I'm not telling you what they're going to do! It's a secret! Sssh…)

The next day: Sunday – 10:30 AM

As Shigure trudged away from the occupied table, the phone rang again. "Hello, this is Shigure speaking… Ah, Hatori! We hear from you once again! How's Akito doing?" Silence fell over the line for about 10 seconds before Shigure dropped the phone altogether, collapsing to his knees with a look of terror stricken on his face.

"Shigure! What's wrong? What did he say?" Tohru asked, picking up the phone, but not bothering to talk to Hatori on the other end.

"Akito… Akito is… dead…" Shigure managed between shocked whispers.

'No… NO! Not again… this can't be… That was nowhere near powerful enough of an attack. This can't be happening again.' Hana's mind nearly reeled with guilt.

'Did I… actually kill him?'


	7. Succession or Freedom?

Chapter 7: Succession… or Freedom?

The inhabitants of Shigure's house and Hana immediately traveled back to the main house to comfort the family and catch of glimpse of the Sohma leader one more time. Hana couldn't find it in herself to look at him from fear that he mind read his recently deceased mind and learn that it was her fault she was dead. The Sohma wake went on as grimly as most wakes do, with not much talk save for some choice words from Hatori concerning his love for the family. Even though the members of the zodiac knew that he caused much grief for them, they knew now that it was only for their happiness, so now they held no grudge. The zodiac members that were yet to meet Tohru also took their chance to do so during the service. Their tears were shared by all in the Sohma complex, except for the gothic girl, avoiding any and all contact, that is, until Hatori came up to her to ask a favor.

"I'd like you to come with me… take Yuki, Kyo, Tohru and Shigure with you… Akito wrote a will."

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The six of them sat down at a table recently set up in Hatori's house, with the good doctor sitting at one head and Kyo at the other. Hana and Tohru sat together, holding hands, helping each other cope with the recent event. The tension was very thick in the room, as no one expected for Akito to write a will to even the zodiac members, let alone including Tohru and Hana. Hatori decided to break the silence by clearing up something they must have been thinking.

"I'm sure you're all wondering… if yesterdays incident with Miss Hanajima led to Akito's demise…" Hana remained silent, unwilling to admit herself. "I can tell you now… that it wasn't." This surprised the entire group, grabbing more intense attention. "Well then… what was it? Do you know?" Yuki decided to ask for the group. Hatori shook his head, showing his uncertainty. "That's just it… I don't know either. He had fully recovered and was walking around only about two hours after he lost consciousness… but then, this morning… he was dead, he died in his sleep… probably from the effects of the curse." Hana then forced herself to let herself be heard, both she and Tohru relieved that she was not the one at fault. "Thank God… I didn't want to kill him… so it had no effect at all… but what… about the curse affects him?" she asked.

Hatori sighed, he never dared to even tell Kana how Akito fell under the curse, but now he knew that he had to divulge this information in order to settle the matter. "I suppose there's no use not telling you… I'm assuming you know of the zodiac legend, how God invited the animals to the banquet?" The girls both nodded. "Well… like us, Akito is possessed… but he… is possessed by God himself." This time, the girls simply looked shocked, unable of any reaction. 'Possessed by… God? How much of a burden can that be…' Tohru thought, the contents of which almost copied in Hana's mind.

"As you can imagine," Hatori continued. "Being possessed by a spirit of the zodiac places great stress on our bodies, shortening our lifetimes by around five years. However, in Akito's case… it takes an even greater toll… Akito probably would have died in the next year or two, if it wasn't now… So… now you know, but that's in the past. Now we need to read this. Bear in mind I haven't read the contents, but on the cover it listed who to invite. That is why I asked for both of you to come." He explained, talking about the girls. Hatori then fumbled through the envelope, taking out the letter inside. Hatori read it aloud as he placed it on the table for all to see.

"My dear family and friends…

I realize that this may seem incredibly strange to you, but this day's events have shown me just how blinded I've been by God's presence inside me. I have been terrible to you all, and my sins are unforgivable. However, both Miss Honda and Miss Hanajima helped me see the error of my ways, and helped me to atone. Seeing this, there may be a chance to help save us all. That being said, I must pass on my most trusted assignments over to the family. Hatori, you have been my most trusted member of the zodiac, and you care for each and every one of us, so I can see no other fitting role than to see you take over as head of the Sohma family. That being done, I must also make a confession… there is a secret room hidden behind my own. It opens by tilting back my dresser. Take the group there, and you will find all you need to know. I wish you all long lives filled with happiness among others you hold dear.

I love you all…

Akito Sohma"

The entire group was entirely lost for words at what Akito proposed in his letter. Hatori, immediately after reading, got up from the table and headed over toward Akito's room. The residents of the 'Shigure Villa' (or so the dog liked to call it.) followed close behind. Tilting the small dresser back up to the wall, they waited for some sort of sign that a passage had been opened. Indeed, as several seconds later, two panels of the tatami flooring folded inward toward the ground, revealing a staircase. Uneasy but unwilling not to see what Akito had been hiding, they progressed downward. Tohru decided to break the confused silence by asking a question that must have been aching in everyone's minds then.

"So Hatori… what does it mean if you become head of the family? Do you know?" Hatori hung his head slightly as he lead the group down the surprisingly long flight of stairs down into a dimly lit cave. "One cursed by one spirit cannot be possessed by another… if I accept, I'll have to pass on the Dragon spirit to someone else… as well as my powers." This didn't surprise them very much, except for Hana, trailing at the end of the line in the stairway, but still holding Tohru's hand so as not to get lost. 'I hope what happens here is a good thing… if so, then…' Hana's thoughts were interrupted as they reached their destination and she took in the sight before them.

In what could only be described as a shrine to the curse itself, the wall was decorated with twelve orbs arranged in a circle, each with a zodiac animal in it. Three orbs were placed inside the circle, one with the cat, another with its true form, and the other with a cross, along with an image of Akito's face. What surprised them the most was the fact that one of the orbs was empty: the rooster. "The Zodiac… but one's missing…? I met Kureno earlier today… is he…?" Shigure shook his head, but not disagreeing with Tohru's theory. "It is possible… but what does that mean?"

Shigure's question was replaced by another when suddenly, as if this strange room finally sensed mortal beings within it, began to shake. The ground next to the orbs began to shape into a stalagmite with a smaller white orb floating atop it. Kyo stepped back once, startled by this discovery. "Wh-what the hell is going on?" Yuki smirked, hiding the fact that he was just as scared as the cat. "Don't tell me you're scared…" Yuki was then interrupted by a booming voice that started to echo through the cavern.

"_Who is it that enters this shrine?_" The Sohma's recognized this voice, and yet in was different. It seemed to be Akito's voice, but they heard a deeper one reverberating along with the passed Sohma leaders' tone. "Akito…?" Yuki whispered softly, confused by this strange event. Hatori stepped forward. "I am Hatori Sohma, the Dragon of the Sohma Curse. I am accompanied by the dog, rat and cat as well as two girls by the names of Tohru Honda and Saki Hanajima. We are here fulfilling the wishes of Akito Sohma, the God of the curse, who recently passed away." Silence fell before the group before the odd voice sounded once again.

"_Others outside of the family know of the curse? Why have you not erased their memory? Was this another order of your God?_" Hatori, though just as enthralled by this supernatural occurrence somehow kept his wits about him as he responded again. "Yes, he allowed them to know… if I may ask, who are you?" Hatori asked the question burning in the minds of the Sohma's, and he instantly was given a response. "_I am the spirit that possessed Akito… he tells me… that he wishes you… to be here… and for the ones labeled as 'Light' and 'Dark' to step forward._"

"Light and Dark… wait a minute… I called Tohru 'the light', so that must mean…" Yuki turned toward the two girls, thinking that with Akito's influence on the voice speaking to them now, Akito must be associating Hana with darkness as Yuki had with light. "Tohru… go ahead, talk to them." Tohru's face was pale with fright despite Hana's comforting hold, that is until she stepped in front of her, bringing her back to reality. The gothic girl attempted speaking to the voice. "My name is Saki Hanajima… I am assuming I am the 'dark one' that Akito is mentioning to you?" the voice yelled back at the group startling them with its sheer volume and tone. "_How do you know of this? How do you listen to my inner voice?_"

Hana's power forced some knowledge from this situation, allowing the once-terrified Tohru to speak again. "Saki has power with which she can read the minds of spirits… we… were told by Akito that there was a way that this curse could be broken! Is that true?" The voice responded quickly once again, sounding more at ease with the 'intruders.' "_Indeed… all you must do is place your hands on the orb in front of you. If your motives and hearts are pure, then your wish will be granted._" Tohru hesitantly reached out her hand, then started to take it back. Hana grabbed it and leaned in to whisper into her ear. "It'll be okay… what do we have to lose?" Tohru smiled and simultaneously placed her hand on the orb with Hana's. A blinding light began to shoot forth, incapacitating the group.

"_You are indeed the ones that touched God's spirit in Akito Sohma's body… your motives are pure. Before I leave contact with this world… I have a message from him… he thanks you, and wishes you happiness… Farewell._"

The light then expanded throughout and outside of the cave, inadvertently searching for the rest of the Sohmas to rid them of their spirits. Tohru and Hana looked back to see the family smiling at them, but they weren't alone. Alongside them sat their zodiac forms, in living flesh. Hatori chuckled. "Well… now what are we to do with these?" He joked to no one in particular.

(A/N: Whoa… this came out soooo much different than I thought it was going to… but hey I wanted to add some sort of supernatural thingie to the whole curse thing. To be continued, most likely with fluff!)


	8. Experiments

Chapter 8 – Experiments

Stunned by the sudden dispersal of the Sohma curse, the members of the Zodiac, to which they still referred themselves only jokingly, came one by one to the main Sohma complex with their obedient Zodiac animal in tow to thank the two girls in person. Kagura immediately ran up to hug Kyo and his cat, which he let the Boar Woman keep with little argument. "Sure it's my zodiac, but I don't wanna have to take care of it! We're gonna have enough problems turning this place into a zoo anyway…" Kyo would hear no more from his 'lover.' Momiji greeted Tohru the same way, glad to be able to embrace Tohru as a human for once. "You did it! Thank you so much Tohru, you too Hana!" Momiji shifted and hugged Hana, who seemed a little surprised by the energetic boy. Smiling at the happy, if not strange scene in front of her, Tohru didn't notice someone coming up from behind and putting their arms around her waist.

"I want to thank you, too… Tohru…" Yuki said, clutching onto his unofficial girlfriend as if it were the last time he would. Tohru blushed as she felt Yuki's lips graze her cheek. 'Is he… he must feel so alive right now… everyone… I'm glad I could finally do something for you in return for all you've done for me… To able to hold the one he loves… must be indescribable. It is for me…' "Um… Yuki… you're welco-" Tohru began to ask, happy but taken aback by Yuki. "I just wanted to try it for once… and I have to say… it feels pretty good."

Kagura, walking over with her own copy of Kyo, noticed the Prince and the Savior together, and couldn't resist asking, as she wasn't there the night before during Akito's revelation. "Um… excuse me, but… are you two… going out?" Yuki let go of Tohru to put his hand on her shoulder while Tohru chuckled. "Heh heh… I suppose you could say that." Kagura nearly squealed and took her turn jumping into Tohru's arms. "EEHEE! That's just so cute!" Tohru and Hana continued accepting thanks from the Sohmas as they made their way out to the car outside to leave. Although the family left their Zodiac selves behind to make an exhibit inside the main complex, they seemed to miss their curse in a love-hate sort of way.

"Are you sure you didn't want to take Spot back? He looked so cute; it would have been nice to have him as a pet!" Tohru commented to Shigure in the driver's seat, who laughed. 'Why the hell are you still calling it that…?' Kyo thought to himself, remembering the shenanigans from the first sleepover with Uo and Hana. 'Hey wait a minute…' "Yo, Saki… are you gonna tell any of this to Arisa?" Hana gasped, since she found out about the curse, she had forgotten all about her. 'Well, I suppose I'll have to at some point… I hope that she can handle it all.' She thought to herself before responding. "I guess I will… but there'll be some hell to pay… she doesn't like it when we keep secrets." Nothing more was said until they got back home.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hana went straight to Tohru's room when they arrived; this concerned the otherwise optimistic Sohmas now living in the house, what with their curse now null and void. 'Why would she seem upset… we just broke the curse, what would she be worried about… it may not be my place, but…' The brunette immediately followed her friend, leaving the Sohmas in the back of her mind. Yuki lifted a hand to stop her, but lowered it soon after. 'This is their problem… I have no place in it.'

"Hana… are you all right?" Tohru asked her friend. "You seemed… depressed. Is there something wrong?" Hana wouldn't look back at her as she prepared her speech. "Tohru… that spirit… it called me… the dark one. Is that true? Am I really…" Tohru sat down next to her, interrupting her. "Hana… I won't lie to you… compared to others, yes… you are dark. But I believe… that darkness in often misunderstood. I think… that it's only evil if it's tainted… by something else. Darkness… is a good thing, like every other element in the world. Fire… Earth… Wind… Water… Light… each can relate to a person in some way… bringing color, personality to the world, including the dark. Otherwise… the world would be boring. No night would make the world go at a standstill… dull. You're my best friend, Hana… there's no way that you're… tainted." She finished her comforting speech, putting her arms around her.

'She always has something to relate to someone else…' Hana reminded herself, returning the hug.

"This is why I love you Tohru… you always know how to make someone happy, even when you don't realize it yourself." Tohru still didn't know how to respond to Hana's loving words, this time being interrupted by a knock at the door heard outside. Tohru's nature allowed her to reluctantly leave her friends' grasp to answer the door. The gothic teen followed her downstairs to the door and let out a gasp when she saw who it was.

"AHA! I knew it!"

Tohru gasped with an entirely different emotion than Hana's, she was happy to see Arisa Uotani standing at the door. For once, Uo pushed Tohru aside to interrogate Hana. "Hana, why did you trick me just to come here? You could have invited me too, you know!" Tohru's surprise was now replaced with confusion as she tried to find out why she was angry at Hana. "Um, wait… she said you… but then… um… what just happened?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After cornering the other two girls, Uo was able to coerce each and every bit of information that transpired during the weekend. She only seemed surprised by the parts dealing with the curse and the process of breaking it, seeing as she already knew about Hana's crush to some extent, and also predicted that either Yuki or Kyo would have shown feelings for her as well. "So… Tohru, you must feel a little overwhelmed right now, huh? Sorry, but I can't really give you any advice in that kind of area. Despite what little rumors about me may exist, I'm not popular enough to have a boyfriend yet, let alone trying to balance two other people…" Tohru shrugged off Uo's apology. "Oh, it's OK… you'll find someone sometime… but I never thought that… Hana would…"

Uo interrupted her this time. "Well… I have to be honest with you… I didn't think she'd come this far. But hey, I have an idea. You two go out tonight, see what happens, then compare it with ol' rat boy. What do you say?" Tohru blushed, waving her hands in protest to Uo's offer. "Well, I couldn't really _date_ her; that would be wrong, people would…" Uo cut her off again, surprised to hear these words from her usually optimistic friend. "Since when have you cared what other people think of you? Outside of other friends, of course…"

'She is right... What does it matter what other people think… as long as we're together, I'm happy… we're happy. That's all I need.' Tohru thought to herself. "Well… OK, if you insist." Uo jumped up, striking a fist in the air in triumph. "All right! I'll help pay, then you two can get started on the road to love!" Both of the girls chuckled. "That's something I'd expect from Shigure, Arisa…" Hana added, making the three of them laugh together, pondering what the night would bring.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Tohru?"

Yuki walked toward the brunette and sat next to her on her bed. "Are you feeling OK?" Tohru, as always, shook her head. "Yes, I'm fine… I'm just… a little overwhelmed today…" Yuki smiled and put his hand on her shoulder. "I can understand that… not only did you break our curse…" he paused to kiss Tohru on the cheek again, making her blush an even deeper shade of red. "…which I can't thank you enough for… but now you have this little… romance quandary… or words to that effect." The rat laid out the problem, still uneasy.

"What can I do…?" Tohru asked him. "I want… I want to make you both happy… but I have to choose one of you at some point… it just feels… so wrong." She turned around to fall into Yuki's comforting arms. "This day… it made me realize things… I never thought I knew about myself… I realized… I love you…" Yuki smiled, but was speechless. "But I… I love her too… both of you have always been there for me, and you've done so much to help me… what can I do?" she repeated, sobbing into her friend's chest. Yuki stroked her hair, trying to comfort her even more, even though he knew there was little he could do.

"I already know that… you have a sort of 'date' with her tonight… but I just… want to wish you luck." Tohru looked up at his face, not daring to believe what she heard. "If you're happy with her… I'll be able to give you up. I'll be OK. If I can only be a brother to you… I promise I'll be the best brother I can." Tohru tightened her hold on her unofficial boyfriend and, without thinking, leaned up and kissed him quickly on the lips. For those tiny few instants, Yuki was lost in the moment. Tears were present in Yuki's eyes as they broke apart. "Tohru… that was my… was it your… our…?" Yuki couldn't finish the sentence, as he was referring to the fact that that was their first kiss. The rice ball girl nodded slowly before getting up to leave with Hana.

'I hope I'm not going to regret that…' Tohru thought to herself.

(A/N: OK, I don't know why I promise things like fluff because I honestly do not know what 'fluff' even implies… but I digress. Next time… Hana's date, and well as a fresh new couple being introduced into the story! (well, my story anyway…) Stay tuned for some Kyo/Kagura behind the scenes of Tohru/Hana! You won't want to miss this one!)


	9. Comparisons

Chapter 9: Comparisons

Kyo Sohma watched the three girls leave Shigure's house from his vantage point on the roof, Arisa going one way and Tohru going the other with Saki. "Damn… outdone not only by Yuki, but that weirdo girl? Not that I'm complaining, but…" Kyo stopped thinking aloud as he watched the horizon, seeing a suspicious cloud of dust rising; something was approaching the house, and Kyo knew exactly what, or rather who, it was. "Aw hell no… NOW I'm complaining!" Kyo jumped from his point on the roof to the south side, the opposite from which Kagura was approaching. 'Damn... Kagura has me all to herself now! What the hell am I gonna…' Kyo started to think. However, knowing how Kyo behaved, the boar eventually arrived and went around the villa to corner him at the clotheslines in the backyard.

"I'm back Kyo darling! I missed you!" She cried, holding his arm for dear life, almost ripping it off. "I saw you this morning you idiot! Why are you even here!" Kyo yelled, trying to get from but to no avail. "To go on a date of course!" Kyo froze, shocked by Kagura's sudden statement. 'Even she just doesn't yank me out on a date out of the blue…'

"OK… what's going on?" The cat asked with an impatient tone. Kagura just giggled again. "We're going to celebrate, silly… we're free now, I just wanted to take you out tonight," she explained, tightening her grip on his arm. "Why?" Kyo inquired, perplexed by Kagura's persisting emotions. "I know I asked you this before, but… why do you like me so much, huh? It's like you're almost forcing yourself to…" He stopped talking when he saw Kagura with a shocked expression, then she looked down at the ground, blushing. A sweatdrop formed on Kyo's neck and his jaw dropped as he guessed at what he was seeing. "Wait… don't tell I'm actually right about that shit, was I? I was just kidding! You're forcing…"

Kagura cut him off this time, letting go of him and sitting down on the ground. "Yes, you're right… I was forcing myself on you… ever since that time you transformed in the park… when we were kids… I ran away…" Tears began to fall from her brown eyes, signaling for Kyo to sit down beside her. "C'mon, don't cry now… you know I hate when you do that…" Kagura only barely heard him, shaking her head. "I shouldn't have ran away… I should have stayed! I wanted to let you know that there was someone that cared about you, so I… kind of overdid it. But… I still fell in love with you anyway." The boar placed her hand on Kyo's, squeezing it tightly. "I'm sorry I never told you, I'm sorry… I deceived you like that… but I still love you Kyo… I really do!"

The cat remained speechless, trying to take in everything she was saying without tossing it away like the usual garbage she spouted. 'She… she was just… trying to help me? I thought she was just trying to annoy me…' Finally, his lips decided to form words. "Kagura… you were… pretty annoying during that time… but the reason I was… tossing you away was because that… I was going to be confined soon. I… I didn't want anyone close to me when that happened…" Kagura found the courage to look back up at Kyo's face. "Listen, I really don't know if I want to settle for someone like you just yet. Let me finish!" He explained abruptly, seeing Kagura with a face that said 'What, I'm not good enough for you!' "But… I'll go out with you, if not just to get you off my back. We'll let time decide, all right?"

Kagura's tear-filled eyes overflowed when she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Kyo smirked when she backed away. "Don't push it." He stated jokingly, forcing a giggle from her. 'I'm probably going to kick myself in the ass for this later… oh well. Nothin' to lose, is there?'

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Hana and Tohru walked into the movie theater and sat down a few rows from the back. The brunette sighed as she plopped into her seat. "It's been a while since I've gone to see a movie at the theater. I usually wait until they come out on video… too much money involved, you know?" Hana nodded, sitting next to her. "How sad… going out to see a movie is becoming increasingly expensive over the years… but it is nice to go and see one when you're bored… with someone you care about." Tohru smiled even brighter than earlier before the lights faded. "That's true… thanks."

Looking at each other only to reach for popcorn or a drink, the film, "Dark Water" went at a normal horror-flick pace, with just enough twists to keep the two girls interested. During a somewhat tense scene, Hana's antenna perked up as she sensed familiar waves behind her. She turned her head enough to see none other than Kyo and Kagura in the back row. Kagura was grabbing onto him, her voice quivering, obviously from the movie. Kyo hesitantly put his arms around her, sighing half out of exasperation and half out of relief. Hana smiled before Tohru emulated Kagura's behavior, Hana not being as hesitant to return the hug. "It'll be okay…" she whispered into her ear, attempting to calm her, but still not wanting to let her go. "But… I'm s-scared…" Tohru protested, clinging tighter. "You don't have to be… I'm right here… I'm here with you…" Although comforted by Hana's assuring words, she didn't let go of her and barely had the courage to continue watching the movie.

Close to the movie's end, Hana looked back up to search for Kyo and Kagura again. Like she and Tohru, they hadn't moved from their position. Soon it finally ended, both the couples walking out holding hands. On the way out, Tohru 'unintentionally' bumped into Kagura, or so Hana would say. "Oh, Kagura! Hi… and Kyo! What are you doing here?" Kagura decided to answer, a smile finally returning to her face after the depressing movie. "We just saw _Dark Water_ on our first date, didn't we Kyo-Kyo?" The cat's ears perked up to attention once more, his temper reaching a boiling point. "Don't you start calling me that too! Although I'll say that was fun, I didn't think I'd have to hold you the whole damn time, it was your decision to watch it, so why were you so scared!" Tohru interrupted them at this point.

"Wait… we just saw _Dark Water_ too… were you in the same theater? And are you… actually dating now?" Kyo blushed, letting go of Kagura's head to scratch the back of his neck. "Well… I dunno… define 'dating' for me and you might get an answer…" At this point Kagura hugged him, pushing aside Kyo's modesty. "Yes we are, Kyo finally realized my love for him!" Tohru beamed at the other couple out of her overflowing joy for them. "Oh, that's great! I'm so happy for you two!" Hana then decided to break apart the conversation to leave the couples to their own business. "Maybe we should go, Tohru… I have to get home soon." Tohru's surprise jumped again at that statement. 'Is she heading back already? This weekend has just flown by…' She thought to herself before nodding and waving at the new couple to wish them good luck. Taking separate exits, Kagura smiled at her would-be boyfriend.

"So how did you like it?"

Kyo sighed again; he knew that that would be the first thing out of her mouth once they were alone outside the theater. "Well… Kagura… I have to admit, I'd say we're rushing things a little too fast right now… but… I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it a little bit." The boar woman didn't take her eyes off of the orange-top as they got on the bus leading back to the center of town, close to the Sohma estate. "It must feel great… knowing that you won't be confined anymore… we can be free to do what we want now." Kyo smiled, reassuring himself with those few words. "Yeah… it felt… neat… being close to someone like that… and knowing… that I wouldn't end up losing them. After the whole fiasco with Yuki and Tohru… it's… great to know someone's there for me." Kyo's hand hesitantly raised to caress Kagura's cheek, which bent back ever so slightly as she smiled even brighter than before. Leaning in and kissing him again, Kyo did not fight it and returned it after a second.

"I love you, Kyo." Kagura whispered above the noise of the bus. The once-cursed cat smiled with more vigor than ever. "I know." Was his response.

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Meanwhile, back at Shigure's…

"Are you packed, Hana?"

"I'm all set, Tohru…" she stated, flopping her full bag on the bed once more. She looked at the clock sitting beside the bed. 5:34, almost dinnertime back home. "I'd better go… I'll see you at school." Tohru looked down at the floor, not wanting to look up at her just yet. "Right…" Hana wanted to lift her face back up and ask what was wrong, but her signals were too conflicting, and didn't want to risk adding fuel to the fire. "What happened this weekend… will stay between us?" She nodded again, not saying another word as she let the girl take a few more steps. Finally, she could take the pressure no longer and stopped her.

"Hana, wait… Just a minute… Please?"

(A/N: Uh-Oh, Cliffer! What does Tohru wish to say? Has she made a decision for her romantic dilemma? And if so, who has she chosen? Will she become a true member of the Sohma family with Yuki, or will she throw caution to the wind and attempt a true relationship with her close friend Hana? Find out all this and more in the Final Chapter of the Triad of Secrets!)

P.S. In the epilogues included with the final chapter, we will see the progress of other couples in the Sohma family… as well as other reactions to the absence of the curse.


	10. Decisions

Chapter 10: Surplus and Lack of Risks: Decision

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Conclusion 1: Tohru and Hana

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"What is it, Tohru?" The wave girl asked, sensing trouble in her friend's mind. They sat once again on the bed, nearly in the same scenario as a few nights ago. Tohru sighed before speaking, in essence trying to make perhaps the most difficult decision of her life. "Hana… you mean so much to me… your feelings for me are such a blessing…" The rice ball girl hesitated, trying to put her words together in the most eloquent way possible. "I… I love you… I want to be with you… so badly… you deserve to have someone to love… b-but… I…" Tohru collapsed into tears once again onto Hana's chest. The young gothic woman stroked her hair like she did so many times before. Reading what she could from Tohru's mind, she smiled.

"I… feel as if… as if Yuki… and the other Sohma's deserve it so much more. Don't get me wrong… I love you so much, in a way I could never love Yuki… but they've gone through so many hardships… they've seen things I couldn't even fathom." Coming apart just slightly to look into one another's glazed eyes, Tohru was only barely aware that Hana looked purely content with what she was saying. "I know not even he would have a problem with us being together… but that's not why… Hana…" Then, the ebony-haired girl leaned down to kiss her first love, the brunette waiting only an instant to return it. Their fingers laced together, and the world was miles away for the next ten seconds. Tohru was speechless when they came apart. Hana wiped the tears from Tohru's eyes.

"You're right… you shouldn't be selfish about me… go with what feels better, Tohru… I'll be fine. As long as you're happy… I'm happy… I know I'll find someone, someday… but you… should do what you want." Tohru laid there for a few minutes, pondering this decision. 'She wants me to do… what I want? I want to give something in return to them… Hana will always be there… even if I am with him.' She smiled, pulling herself up and stealing another kiss before standing. "Go and tell him what you feel… no one's here to stop you." Hana said, bidding farewell to her first love.

"Yes…"

She then stepped out into the hallway toward Yuki's room. Hana followed soon after, going the opposite direction down the stairs. She looked back only for a moment to see the silhouettes of Yuki and Tohru locked in an embrace. 'She'll be happy… Just as I am.' She thought as she entered the crisp evening air, purely content with what had happened.

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Conclusion 2: Kyo and Kagura

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"I'll see you tomorrow… at the dojo." Kagura said, not wanting to let go of her love's hand. Kyo sighed, looking away from her longing eyes. "I told you not to push it." Kagura let go, slightly less than stunned at what he said. Her eyes began to glaze over with tears once again, but Kyo only chuckled. This froze the boar woman in her tracks. 'Kyo's… laughing? He's never laughed… in front of me before. What's wrong with him?'

"Kyo…? Darling, what's…!" She gasped as she was pulled into a tight hug worthy of Kyo's strength. "I was just kidding… tonight… was fun. Let's do it again sometime." He struggled through his thank-you speech. Kyo was not very accustomed to being this happy, or grateful, or with a passion for another. "Does this… mean that…?" Kagura started to say, waiting to hear the words she wanted to hear for so many years. "I love being with you Kagura… I want to make more memories like the ones we made tonight." Kyo leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. Kagura was speechless. She simply stood at her driveway and watched Kyo walk away, holding his hand up to wave goodbye without looking back. She touched the spot on her cheek that he kissed, feeling leftover hints of warmth from him, and stopped her falling tears from staining that now-sacred area of her face.

(A/N: Most of these next little conclusions are based on the manga plotline, around volume 9 on. Haru/Rin-ness ahead!)

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Conclusion 3: Shigure's 'Sexy Party'  
(A/N: Just a reference joke to 'Family Guy's Stewie. I don't know why I gave it this title… is on a sugar high)

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"Hello Mayu!"

The Sohma's teacher groaned in disgust. Her ex-boyfriend was calling her _again_, probably to order some long-forgotten novel that people didn't care to read anymore from her family's book store. "What do you want, Shigure?" she asked, impatient.

"Now what's that tone for, Mayu? I was simply calling to say hello, is there something wrong with two old lovers to talk to each other?" Shigure offered his side of the story, but he was already angering the annoyed teacher. "WE WEREN'T LOVERS!" She yelled, making Shigure wince in pain at the sheer volume of it over the phone. "OK, OK, that's not why I called… I was wondering if you knew when Kana and her new husband were returning from their honeymoon?" Mayu blinked, surprised at the question.

"Um… they'll be coming back next Saturday I think… why do you ask?" Shigure smirked; he knew his plan was working. "Oh, I just wanted to throw a little party for them when they get back. None of us have met the lucky man… and Hatori and Aya would love to see her again." Mayu flinched at Hatori's name. It had been almost two years since the day that Shigure told her that Kana had had her memories erased. That was why she had broken up with him, so that she wouldn't have anything else to do with that strange family. "Wait a minute, Shigure… why do you want to do this? Did something happen?" She asked, with evident concern in her voice. Shigure smirked again. 'Hook, line and sinker!'

"Well… something like that. I'll tell you later. Oh, that reminds me, Aya got a girlfriend!" Mayu, her interest peaked, chuckled. "Really? Who is she?" Mayu pictured some sort of obese duchess from the eighteenth century as Ayame's perfect specimen, but she was not given a very accurate description when Shigure explained that it was Mine, the girl who worked at Ayame's shop. "Anyway… I just wanted it to be us three Sohma's, Mine, and… aw the hell with it, maybe I'll invite Mii over to get rid of some of her stress." Mayu, now enthralled in this conversation, wasted no time in asking her next question. "Who's Mii?" Shigure laughed again, eager to tell her about his 'victim.' "She my editor." She didn't speak for a few seconds, sending her prayers to her. 'That poor woman…'

"So, is it a date, err, a party rather?" the dog summed up his request. Mayu sighed, giving in to the request. "Oh, why not? I'd be fun to catch up. Next Saturday it is." Shigure cheered before hastily saying goodbye. He rubbed his hands together in an evil manner, the final phase of his plan in motion. 'Seeing everyone with a friend, Hatori will fall for Mayu for sure…'

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Conclusion 4: Haru and Isuzu

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Hatsuharu opened the door, not wasting any time kneeling next to the bed situated near the window. The girl sitting in it did not move, and continued looking out the window, her jet-black hair flowing in the wind. "Hey, Rin." Hearing her name being called didn't force a reaction from her. Hatsuharu waited, hoping that she would respond. "What do you want, Haru? I told you… I don't need you anymore." She said coldly, still not averting her eyes from the night sky. Haru placed his hand on Rin's, and she didn't pull away.

"Rin… why don't you want to stay together anymore? I love you… we don't… have to be afraid anymore. Akito is gone… the curse in broken. No one's going to hurt us anymore. Please… let's go back… to the way things were." Haru explained, his left hand now supporting his right, which was shaking under the tension in his heart. Rin finally looked over at the ox with an expressionless face. "Why… do you still want me? I'm useless… I keep getting sent to the hospital. As the horse I should be strong… but I'm just weak. I don't need someone like you to guide me…" Haru looked up, tears starting to form.

"Rin… that's bullshit. You're not weak… you're strong… really strong. I didn't want to… guide you, I… I just to be… by your side. Besides… the curse is gone. You don't have to live up to being the horse anymore. I love you… just the way you are." Isuzu sat for nearly a minute, taking in all of Haru's words. There wasn't a trace of Black Haru in that voice. It was the voice she knew that she created. She pulled Haru close to her, a single tear falling down her cheek. "I love you too…"

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Conclusion 5: Hiro and Kisa

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Watching a Mogeta episode alone for the first time in what seemed like years, Hiro and Kisa were enchanted by the cartoon, despite its obviously bad voice acting and special effects. During a commercial break, Hiro then decided to ask his question. "Hey Kisa… how are things going at school? Are people still picking on you?" Kisa smiled at her young friend, glad he was concerned for her. "Just a little… but I do all right." Hiro returned the smile, his courage heightened. "How does it feel… without the… you know…" He asked, referring to the absence of the zodiac spirits. Kisa's smile left her then, but not from it being a bad subject, but more out of confusion. She didn't know quite what to call this feeling of freedom. "I don't know… It's not really different than before, it just feels like… more confidence is there now… more confidence… than I ever had before." Hiro shifted himself to face her, ready to finally get to the point of the matter.

"Kisa… I… I love you." Kisa wasn't surprised, as the TV was drowning out Hiro's whispered confession. "What?" She asked. Hiro grabbed the remote and muted the sound, edging closer to her. "Kisa… I think… I love you." Kisa gasped, bringing her hands to her face, which was already blushing a deep shade of red. "Wh-what do you mean, Hiro?" She said, confused even further. "I… I know this probably sounds stupid coming from someone like me… but I love you, more than a friend. I want to grow up with you… go to school with you… but more than anything… I just want to spend time with you." Kisa smiled, tears threatening to fall from the eyes that matched her hair. She couldn't keep herself from hugging him and giving him a peck on the cheek.

"Oh Hiro… I feel the same way! I don't know what to call it, but… I want all those same things. I want to be with you all the time… I… I love you too… Hiro…" The 6th-grader stroked the tiger's hair, his eyes closed, lost in the moment with his first love.

'I hope it stays this way… I want to be… her prince…'

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Conclusion 6: Wish Fulfilled

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Kyo continued his walk back to Shigure's house and looked up at the stars once again. Suddenly, not one, but two shooting stars, brighter than he had ever seen before, streaked across the sky. Their paths almost perpendicular, one vertical and one horizontal, made what looked like a cross in the night. The symbol stayed illuminated for almost five seconds before it fizzled out. Kyo was shocked by what just happened. "No way… was that just…" he laughed again, his thoughts tracing back to the symbol that was in Akito's orb back at the shrine. "Akito… you always gotta show off, doncha?"

The next day, stargazers abound reported the strange sighting, wondering how this phenomenon took place. However, the Sohma's and those on the inside knew that their former leader's dying wish had been granted.

The End

(A/N: Whew! It's finally done! First off, I'M SORRY ALL THE SHOUJO-AI LOVERS OUT THERE! I know this was supposed to be a Hana/Tohru fic, but I like Yuki/Tohru more, and I just did what I thought would happen, besides, that's why I didn't show the actual scene with Tohru returning Yuki's feelings. It was supposed to be about the two girls, and that's what I tried doing. For all you Yuki/Tohru shippers out there, I just might write an epilogue with that scene in it just for you. As for the little scenes in this final chapter, I just wanted to show all the other couples I liked in Furuba. I'm not really a fan of Mayu/Hatori or Shigure/Mii, but that was mainly for the Ayame/Mine couple. The other couples are obvious… Anyway, thank you for all your reviews and kind words! I'm so grateful to you all… on to my next project!)


	11. Epilogue

Epilogue: Yuki's Comfort

Yuki spiraled around, surprised to see Tohru standing before him. He expected her to be with Hana at the moment to say goodbye to her friend and the emotional weekend. 'Maybe she did something to upset her? She looks like she's been crying… But she's smiling…' He thought to himself, very anxious to know what was on her mind. He immediately put his pencil down and got up from his schoolwork to walk over to her. "Tohru, what is it? Did you… talk with Miss Hanajima?" Tohru accepted Yuki's embrace and returned it. "Yuki… I… I'm not sure how to say it, but… I guess the simplest way is to say that… we didn't want to go any further." Yuki tried to contain his relief with a look of disappointment. "What do you mean? You… broke up?"

Tohru shook her head. "See, that's what I wanted to avoid; we're still friends but… I just felt like someone else… deserved love more than she did." Yuki was shocked, surely he didn't end the controversial relationship just to be with someone like himself. "It just seems like… out of everyone that was cursed… you were one of the people hurt the most. I felt like… you deserved someone to love more than she did…" While Yuki felt blessed to hear those words from the woman he loved, he still stuttered through excuses, feeling obligated to object as to why she chose him and not Hanajima. "Tohru… you… you don't need to do this… just… out of pity for me, I…" Yuki was interrupted once again when he felt Tohru's gentle hand caress his face like it was a sacred jewel.

"Yuki, I do admit… that this is partly out of pity for you and your family…" she paused, tears from her past conversation starting to resurface. "…but it's so much more than that. You're the one who took me in. You're the one that defended me when no one else could. You're… the one that promised me you'd always be there for me..." she leaned in closer before closing her eyes and whispering the final part of her speech.

"…and I promise you that too."

Yuki was now lost for words completely, as for the first time in his life in front of anyone outside of his family, he allowed himself to shed tears of joy through closed eyelids; at that moment Tohru leaned in and gave him their first formal kiss. It was very possible that if a bomb went off outside, they wouldn't be able to notice it since they were both lost in the moment. Almost at the same time, both their right hands moved up to caress the other's face as the kiss progressed. After several seconds, they broke apart reluctant to open their eyes and awaken from that perfect dream.

"Tohru… thank you… I love you… so much." The rat managed to say.

"I love you too, Yuki. But… what do we do now? We're too young to really…"

"Just make more memories? Isn't that what's best?"

"…You're right. That sounds… perfect… Prince Yuki."

"Now don't be like those fan club girls."

Tohru laughed, realizing that fact. "Okay…"

Time moved on that night, and finally they reluctantly decided to part to their separate quarters; they reached out to each other as Tohru walked out the door, and Yuki closed his eyes, clutching his pillow tightly as he drifted off to sleep. Only a few minutes later, Tohru did the same.


End file.
